Rigid, hinged-lid packets of cigarettes are currently the most marketed, by being easy to produce and easy and practical to use, and by effectively protecting the cigarettes inside.
A rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes comprises a group of cigarettes wrapped in a sheet of foil; and a rigid outer package housing the group of cigarettes. The outer package comprises a cup-shaped container housing the group of cigarettes and having an open top end; and a cup-shaped lid hinged to the container along a hinge to rotate, with respect to the container, between an open position and a closed position respectively opening and closing the open end. A collar is normally folded and fitted inside the container to project partly outwards of the open end and engage a corresponding inner surface of the lid when the lid is in the closed position.
A rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes has recently been proposed, in which the hinge is parallel to a minor transverse edge.
On some existing packing machines, the ends of the inner and outer sheets of packing material are folded together onto the group of cigarettes. On packing machines of this sort, standard blanks for packets of the type proposed cannot be used, on account of part of the inner sheet of packing material being “caught” between the end tabs of the blank (i.e. of the outer sheet of packing material) when folding the ends of the inner sheet of packing material and the blank, so that, the first time the lid is opened, portions of the inner sheet of packing material are lifted with the lid, thus altering the fold of the inner sheet of packing material and seriously impairing the look of the inside of the packet of cigarettes.
Moreover, as compared with a standard packet hinged parallel to a major transverse edge, a packet of the type proposed has a much larger collar. Consequently, producing packets of the type proposed on an existing packing machine designed to produce standard packets may pose problems (i.e. cost problems, because of the number of alterations involved) on account of the larger size of the collars of packets hinged parallel to a minor transverse edge. One possible solution to the collar size problem is to use a blank with a built-in the collar. That is, the collar may be connected to the main body of the blank (normally by the blank manufacturer) before being fed to the packing machine, so that the blanks fed to the packing machine are each fitted with a respective collar glued into the correct position.
In the most common embodiment, a blank with a built-in collar comprises a main body for forming the outer package; and an end appendix for forming the collar, and which is connected to the main body of the blank by at least one connecting panel, so the collar can be folded and glued to the main body of the blank before being fed to the packing machine.
Patent Application EPO671342A1 describes a carton of cigarettes identical in design to a rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes, and formed from a blank with a built-in collar, i.e. a blank comprising an end appendix defining the collar and connected to the main body of the blank by at least one connecting panel. More specifically, the blank comprises a front wall connected at one end to a front wall of the lid along a fold line, and at the other to a tab; and a T-shaped appendix is connected to an intermediate portion of a free edge of the tab, and is folded onto the front wall of the container to define the collar.
Patent Application US2004050726A1 describes a carton of cigarettes identical in design to a rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes, and formed from a blank with a built-in collar. The blank has a printed face and a nonprinted face, and comprises a main portion defining the container and lid of the carton; and an end appendix, which defines the collar, and comprises a first portion, and two connecting arms having, at opposite ends, a first and second fold line hinging the main portion and the first portion respectively. The blank is folded by rotating the arms about the respective first fold lines so that the arms adhere to the main portion; and, when rotating the arms, rotating the first portion of the appendix about the respective second fold lines, so that the printed face of the first portion adheres to the nonprinted face of the main portion, and the printed surface of the collar shows outwards when the carton is assembled.
Patent Application US2004035722A1 describes a carton of cigarettes identical in design to a rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes, and formed from a blank with a built-in collar. The blank comprises, aligned along a first axis, a central panel; two lateral panels alongside the central panel; an end panel; and an appendix aligned with the central panel along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, connected to the central panel, and for forming the lid. The collar forms part of the container, and is formed by deformation by embossing a given portion of the front wall of the container, and respective given portions of the lateral walls of the container.
Patent Application WO2005115852A1 describes a carton of cigarettes identical in design to a rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes, and formed from a blank with a built-in collar. In various embodiments, the carton of cigarettes may resemble a standard packet of cigarettes or a packet of cigarettes hinged parallel to a minor transverse edge. The collar is connected to the main body of the blank by a U-shaped connecting member, and is folded into the finish position by two consecutive folding operations about a first transverse fold line and a second longitudinal fold line. More specifically, the collar is connected along the second longitudinal fold line to the connecting member, and the connecting member is connected by the first transverse fold line to the main body of the blank.